Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

tion of all mankind, if the best religion in the world do not make us good.

SERMON

VI.

The precepts of Christianity not grievous.

I JOHN V. 3.

· And his commandments are not grievous.

NE of the great prejudices which men have entertained against the Christian religion, is this,

that it lays upon men heavy burdens, and grie vous to be born; that the laws of it are very strict and fevere, difficult to be kept, and yet dangerous to be broken ; that it requires us to govern and keep under our paffions, and to contradict many times our strongest inelinations and defires; to cut off our right hand, and to pluck out our right eye; to love our enemies, to bless them that curfe us, to do good to them that hate us, and to pray for them that despitefully use us and perfecute us; to forgive the greateft injuries that are done to us, and to make reparation for the least that we do to others; to be contented with our condition, patient under sufferings, and ready to facrifice our dearest interefts in this world, and even our very lives, in the cause of God and religion. All these feem to be hard fayings, and grievous commandments.

For the removal of this prejudice, I have chofen these words of the apoftle, which exprefsly tells us the con: trary, that the commandments of God are not grievous.

And though this be a great truth, if it be impartially confidered; yet it is also a great paradox to men of corrupt minds and vitious practices, who are prejudiced a gainst religion, and the holy laws of God, by their intereft and their lufts. This feems a ftrange propofition to those who look upon religion at a distance, and never tried the experiment of a holy life; who meafure the

K 3

laws

laws of God, not by the intrinfical goodness and equity of them, but by the reluctancy and oppofition which they find in their own hearts against them.

Upon this account it will be requifite to take fome pains to fatisfy the reafon of men concerning this truth; and, if it be poffible, to make it fo evident, that thofe who are unwilling to own it, may yet be afhamed to. deny it. And methinks I have this peculiar advantage in the argument I have now undertaken, that every reafonable man cannot chufe but with me fuccefs in this attempt; because I undertake the proof of that which it is every man's intereft that it fhould be true: and if I can make it out, this pretence against religion will not only be baffled, but we shall gain a new and forcible argument to perfuade men over to it.

Now, the eafinefs or difficulty of the obfervation of any laws or commands depends chiefly upon thefe three things.

1. Upon the nature of the laws themselves, and their fuitableness or unfuitableness to those to whom they are 'given.

2. Upon the ability or weakness of thofe on whom thefe laws are impofed for the keeping of them. For eafinefs and difficulty are relative terms, and refer to fome power; and a thing may be difficult to a weak man, which yet may be eafy to the fame perfon when afliited with a greater strength.

3. Upon the encouragement that is given to the obfervation of them. For the propofal of great rewards does very much qualify and allay the difficulty of any undertaking.

Now, if I can make thefe three things evident; 1. That the laws of God are reasonable, that is, fuitable to our nature, and advantageous to our interest; 2. That we are not destitute of fufficient power and ability for the performance of them; and, 3. That we have the greatest encouragements to this purpofe: then have we all imaginable reafon to affent to the truth of this propofition, That the commandments of God are not grie

vous.

I. The laws of God are reafonable; that is, fuitable to our nature, and advantageous to our intereft. It is

true,

true, God hath a fovereign right over us as we are his creatures; and by virtue of this right he might, without injustice, have impofed difficult tasks upon us, and have required hard things at our hands: but in making laws for us, he hath not made ufe of this right. He hath commanded us nothing in the gospel, that is either unsuitable to our reafon, or prejudicial to our interest ; nay, nothing that is fevere, and against the grain of our nature, but when either the apparent neceffity of our intereft does require it, or an extraordinary reward is. promised to our obedience. He hath fhewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? This is the fum of the natural law, That we fhould behave ourselves reverently and obediently towards the divine Majefty, and juftly and charitably towards men; and that, in order to the fitting of us for the better discharge of thefe duties, we fhould govern ourselves in the use of fenfual delights with temperance and moderation. And if we go over the laws of Christianity, we fhall find, that, excepting a very few particulars, they enjoin the very fame things; only they have made our duty more clear and certain. But this I have had occafion to make out largely in the foregoing discourse, and therefore I fhall fay the lefs to it

now.

7

As to the feveral parts of God's worfhip and fervice, prayer and thanksgiving, hearing and reading the word of God, and receiving of the facrament; thefe are all no lefs for our own comfort and advantage, than for the honour of God and religion. And there is nothing of difficulty or trouble in the external performance of them, but what hypocrify can make tolerable to itself: and certainly they must be not only much more eafy, but even delightful, when they are directed by our underflandings, and accompanied with our hearts and affections.

As for thofe laws of religion which concern our duty to ourselves, as temperance and chastity; or to others, as the feveral branches of juftice and charity, comprehended in thofe general rules, of loving our neighbour as ourfelves, and of doing to others as we would have them to do to us: there is nothing in all these laws but what

is

is most reasonable, and fit to be done by us; nothing but what, if we were to confult our own intereft and happiness, and did rightly understand ourselves, we would chufe for ourselves; nothing but what is eafy to be understood, and as eafy to be practised by an honest and a willing mind.

Now, the practice of all these is fuitable to our nature, and agreeable to the frame of our understandings; proper to our condition and circumstances in this world, and preparatory to our happiness in the next. And no man's reafon did ever dictate to him the contrary of any of thefe; that it is fit for a creature not to love God, to be undutiful to his great fovereign, and ungrateful to his best benefactor; that it is reasonable for a man to debauch himself by intemperance and brutish sensuality; to hate, defraud, and opprefs other men. Our very natural reason, if we will but liften to the dictates of it, is an enemy to all these fins, and a law against all these vices.

And as the practice of all piety and virtue is agreeable to our reafon, fo it is likewife for the interest of mankind, both of private perfons, and of public focieties, as I have already fhewn. Some virtues plainly tend to the prefervation of our health, other to the improvement and fecurity of our estates,. all to the peace and quiet of our minds; and, which is fomewhat more ftrange, to the advancement of our esteem and reputation. For though the world be generally bad, and men are apt to approve nothing fo much as what they do themselves; yet, I know not how it comes to pass, men are commonly fo juft to virtue and goodness,. as to praise it in others even when they do not practise it themselves.

And as for those precepts of Chriftianity which feem to be most harfh and difficult at firft appearance, as repentance and reftitution, mortification of our lufts and paffions, humility, patience and contentedness with our condition, and refignation of ourselves to the will of God, forgiving and loving our enemies, and felf denial for the caufe of God and religion; if we look well into them, and confider thoroughly the nature and tendency of them, even thefe will appear to be both reasonable in themselves, and upon one account or other really for our advantage.

What:

What more reasonable than repentance; than that a man, when he hath done amifs, and contrary to his duty, fhould be heartily forry for it, and refolve to do fo no more? And how grievous foever it be, it is neceffa ry, being the only way to pardon and peace. And in cafe our offence against God hath been complicated with injury to men, it is but reasonable we fhould make restitution as far as we are able, according to the nature of the injury. For without this our repentance is not real; because we have not done what we can to undo our fault as much as we can, or at least to hinder the injurious confequences of it from proceeding any farther; nor can any man be judged to be truly forry for his fin that retains the profit and advantages of it to himself. Befides, that till reparation be made to the utmost of our power, we can have no peace in our own confciences, nor any well-grounded hopes of forgivenefs from God.

Mortification of our lufts and paffions, though, like repentance, it has fomething in it that is troublesome, yet nothing that is unreasonable, or really to our prejudice. If we give way to our paffions, we do but gratify ourfelves for the prefent, in order to our future difquiet; but if we refift and conquer them, we lay the foundation of perpetual peace and tranquillity in our minds. If we govern ourselves in the use of fenfual delights by the laws of God and reason, we fhall find ourselves more at eafe than if we should let loofe the reins to our appetites and luft: for the more we gratify our lufts, the more craving they will be, and the more impatient of denial. Crefcit indulgens fibi dirus hydrops: "Every "luft is a kind of hydropic diftemper; and the more

we drink, the more we fhall thirft." So that, by retrenching our inordinate defires, we do not rob ourfelves of any true pleasure, but only prevent the pain

and trouble of farther diffatisfaction.

Humility, though it may feem to expofe a man to fome contempt, yet it is truly the readieft way to honour; as, on the contrary, pride is a most improper and abfurd means for the accomplishing of the end it aims at. All other vices do in fome measure attain their end. Covetoufnefs does ufually raife an eftate, and ambitious endeavours do often advance men to high pla

ces

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »